


Six Friends

by tocasia



Series: Our Shining Past [22]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: AU, Airship, Cave of the Gi, Don't split the party, Gen, Ghost Stories, Gold Saucer, Horror Tropes, Monsters, North Corel, Sephiroth and Zack friendship, Silly, Wutai, creepy mountain town, possibly disturbing, probably cute, train graveyard, twisty turny passages
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-20 05:23:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11914104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tocasia/pseuds/tocasia
Summary: Why would I give it away?(16. horror) for Seph&Zack Friendship 100 Themes





	1. Reno's Story

On the deck of the airship, the sounds of Junon were distorted except for the occasional wailing siren. The ship swayed on its tether, passing erratically through the harsh spotlights that cleanly divided the world into black and white. The beams were so bright that you'd close your eyes sometimes, and with the motion from the breeze, you could never be quite sure if you'd see light or darkness when you opened them.

It was a good place to tell ghost stories.

Which is why Zack had gathered them here at 3am.

"I don't know about this..." said Elena.

"Don't act so weak," scoffed Reno.

"Stop being an ass."

"Thanks, Zack." Elena breathed a sigh of relief. "So, Reno, if you're so strong, you start."

So he did.

* * *

**Chapter One: Reno's Story**

I heard once about a sparsely populated mountain town. So few people lived there that there shouldn't have been any secrets between them. As expected, there was plenty of gossip. With the air already this chilly, how bad would the snowfall be come winter? Would Celia and James make a good couple? He winked at her yesterday and she blushed. That'll break Johnny's heart, poor guy.

But they never mentioned the abandoned mansion. The rare visitor didn't hesitate to bring up how strange that was, but the townspeople never answered those questions.

"No one's been inside for years," the innkeeper's wife said.

"How come?"

"They say..."

"What do they say?"

And she would find some small errand that required her full attention.

* * *

Reno paused for a moment before continuing.

* * *

You know how children love to tell fantastic stories? Sometimes they acted them out in the town square, to see who would cry first.

"There's something in the basement." The boy knocked on the cobblestones.

"A spooky lab where they made monsters. Some of them had two heads, and they'd shuffle after you with their long arms...."

"Like this?"

"Kinda."

"And there were lots of coffins, all locked up, because there were things inside that could get out."

"I went there once," the eldest girl said.

"You did not."

"Did too! The doors were all open. Footprints in the dust led upstairs, but there weren't any coming down. The floorboards only creaked in one place. There was a conservatory, with a glass roof, and the plants were still green."

"That's how normal plants are."

"Not if no one's watered them for years..."

"Hey, mister. What are you looking at? Haven't you got something better to do than bother us?" The kid stuck out his tongue and they all ran off, laughing.

* * *

Reno made a face, just like the kid did at the visitor.

* * *

"After Shinra built a reactor on the mountain, the town got more attention from the outside world. With the increased traffic it wasn't easy to notice at first, but people started to go missing. When the Turks came to investigate those rumors, do you know what they found?"

"No, what?" asked Sephiroth.

"Nothing. They found nothing unusual about the town. Except for this one kid, who kept saying it had burned down five years ago. Everyone thought he was mad."

"So, was he?" said Rude.

"Who knows?" Reno replied. "The Turks never returned."

There was silence as they all looked at Reno's solemn expression.

Tseng nodded his approval. "Well done, Reno."


	2. Zack's Story

"I know something scarier than that," Zack said. "Something about Wutai."

...Wait for it...

"Choose a different one, Zack." Sephiroth's tone of warning was unmistakable. The wind picked up. The airship swayed more violently.

...Perfect. Zack inclined his head and indicated the General with a flourish of his hand. "Scary, see?"

There were no arguments.

"Heh. Clever. Tell the story then, if you dare."

"It happened to a friend of a friend...."

"Knowing you, that could be anybody," Reno said.

Zack grinned his evilest smile. "That's right."

* * *

**Chapter Two: Zack's Story**

During the war in Wutai, might've been the second year. No, probably later than that because...

High command's decree was for SOLDIER to raze this village and its surrounding fields to forever deny succor to the enemy. But it was already a ghost town, completely abandoned, with no signs of life anywhere.

"We should burn it anyway," one of the Thirds said. "We have orders."

"We should check first, see if there's anything valuable in there. Materia, supplies, who knows?"

"Sure, but be careful of ambush."

So, the squad went down to the village. Inside the smallest house, they found a paper bird resting in the middle of the dining room table, unaffected by the wind.

One of them, think his name was Jake, reached for it.

"Hey man, don't. Those things are cursed!" his buddy said.

"Ha, yeah right! They're for good luck."

"...yeah, but whose?"

Disregarding the warning, Jake carried the paper bird with him back to camp. He thought maybe his daughter would like it as long as he didn't say where it came from.

That night, on watch, he gazed across the lonely sea of tall, dry grass rustling in the moonlight breeze. Almost the same as the prairie around his home near Kalm, it was a welcome reminder of lost peace.

In the morning, they marched north to the cliffside bridge, over hilly terrain, away from the empty village.

Jake's pack felt heavier than yesterday. His buddy had probably just put a few extra rocks in as a joke. It threw him off balance a bit, made the climb tougher.

This side of the trail was thinly wooded. It was too quiet in the shade. Sound would bring echoes to the valley, so the SOLDIERS made as little noise as possible.

"Did you hear that?" Jake hissed.

"Shut up and walk."

"Yessir."

But the quieter things got, the more Jake heard it. Some kind of animal in the underbrush, probably.

The rustling followed him all day, and his mates got real tired of him asking if they'd heard it.

* * *

Zack took a drink of water.

* * *

Jake arrived late in camp and got stuck with a spot near the edge. The ground sloped at an uncomfortable angle and pebbles dug into his shoulders through his worn bedroll. But it wasn't raining, and Jake knew to be grateful for the small blessings in life. He'd had plenty of practice in worse situations, so sleep came easily.

The rustling followed him in his dreams.

He could see its shadow circling around his tent. It was huge! A monster with long legs and great, vicious claws, stalking him. 20 feet tall, at least! But for something so big... it made very little noise. His breathing was louder than it was. He kept very still until he woke up.

Something next to his ear was scratching. Oh, he'd used part of his pack as a pillow. He'd rolled over onto it in the night. Inside the bag, the scratching was moving, _squirming_ , trying to get out!

He backed away from it as fast as he could, and regained his footing at the last second so he didn't tumble off the cliff.

rustle  
rustle  
**scratch**

The pack fell open. Beady black eyes stared at him.

Jake could not believe it.

It went...

"Wark!"

And the little chocobo chick's rustling followed him for the rest of the war and they both made it home safely.

The End.

* * *

Rude spoke first. "How was that scary, Zack?"

"Yeah, that was just cute," Elena agreed.

Tseng said, "I knew how it would end."

"Brave as usual, Zack." Sephiroth said. "I forgive you."


	3. Rude's Story

Elena sounded more confident than before. "You tell one, Rude."

"..."

"Come on, man," Zack encouraged.

Rude took his shades off and rolled his eyes, then put them back on again.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Rude's Story**

The expedition reached Bone Village without incident, its members in high spirits. They were explorers, intending to map the Sleeping Forest and learn what lay beyond. Some thought them brave and others knew their quest was foolish, but they would not be deterred.

During the day it was a normal forest, tall and beautiful. At night, the trees glowed white and pale blue, spreading their branches in a web over the sky, trapping the stars. Reduced to their astral essence, they were not trees but dreams of trees.

And it was endless. There was no obvious repeating pattern to the spacing of their growth, but no matter how far you walked, you felt like you hadn't made any progress. Oh, you'd still be tired, and thirsty, and hungry, but you were nowhere.

After the second week, the supplies the explorers had brought with them began to run out. There was no real need for worry yet. Several people on the team were competent hunters, and they'd spotted an abundance of game animals. Following the trails was another thing altogether. The fear of being lost, alone, was strong.

* * *

Rude stopped speaking and took a deep breath. His usually unreadable expression worked hard to remind his friends that here, on the airship, the six of them weren't alone. But, they might not have noticed through his shades. Then, with a cough, he continued the story.

* * *

A third week passed. For some, it was too much; they fled the group in panicked desperation without understanding the irony. One of them found that convenient.

When he didn't complain of hunger pangs, his companions considered him stoic and admired him for it.

Not wanting to leave any evidence, he cast Mini first before he ate them, one each night. He dropped them into his mouth, onto his extended tongue, and swallowed them down. In the morning he said he hadn't seen whoever had gone missing.

"They must have gotten lost in the woods."

The rest believed it. They were all lost in the woods.

But as their numbers dwindled, and he still never looked as famished as they, they individually confronted him about it.

"Hey, you must have a secret stash somewhere you're not sharing with us."

"Come with me. I'll show you."

In the end, only a single person remained to see the other last be eaten. The hungry one had changed. The residual effects of the Transform materia had turned him, it, into a monster. It was pale green, with a curled up tail. It had tiny arms that would be useless except for guiding food into its toothless, gaping maw. The creature seemed not large enough to swallow a man whole, but it did. It dragged the struggling morsel into its mouth with its long, red tongue wrapped around, and then its prey was just _gone_ , no swallowing motion had been required.

The survivor ran while the monster savored its meal.

He ran through the forest, determined to get away. He ran and ran, until by some miracle he stumbled into the smoky Bone Village clearing.

The people were afraid at his wild eyes, rolled back in his head. They asked him what had happened to terrify him so.

All he said was, "..."

He eventually returned to the outside world and tried to live a normal life. To do that, he had to hide his eyes. No one knew who he was, after that.

* * *

Zack said, "What?"

Sephiroth started clapping.

"So that's where those monsters came from," said Tseng.

"Did you really see that?" Reno wondered.

"..."


	4. Tseng's Story

The moment stretched out awkwardly before any of them spoke again. Who would tell the next story? The Turks couldn't volunteer their boss, Zack hadn't asked Sephiroth, and no one wanted to put Elena on the spot just yet.

But there had to be a next story.

"Nothing to report, Tseng?" inquired Sephiroth, in a tone that suggested it was an in-joke between the two.

"Actually, General, I think I may have something..."

"Oh?"

Tseng smiled. "An incident none of you has heard of..."

"Boss, everyone knows that one. The train graveyard in Midgar, right?" said Reno.

"It isn't that one."

They had to lean in to listen because Tseng kept his voice down. That meant the following words were not to be repeated.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Tseng's Story**

This is the truth of what happened.

The cause of the blaze has never been determined. Within minutes, the raging conflagration turned Shaft B into a smoldering gateway to Hell. At best estimate, the thick seam contained enough coal to fuel the fire for at least two centuries.

A few miners survived the initial blast, but without rescue they wouldn't last long.

"This is the end, there's no way out."

"Dangerous job, sure, but never thought I'd die here. Never get to see my kids no more..."

"Trapped here 'til the train comes... if they ever find us at all..."

News of the accident didn't reach North Corel in time. The Mako smell covered up the other toxic gases escaping from the mine. By then it was too late. Extinguishing the fire was impossible. The town mourned its loved ones and its way of life.

* * *

Years passed. Shinra built a reactor to revitalize Corel and establish the groundwork for the planned construction of the Gold Saucer.

"Any of you #$%^ers can tell me where's the train yard?"

It was a dare that brought the pilot to North Corel. He had a rough and rugged reputation to protect and he'd be damned if he was going to let any of the little shits know he didn't have a damn clue how to drive a train. Three of them had demanded to accompany him as witnesses.

"Stupid #%^%s!"

The townspeople had heard worse.

An old man shuffled towards them and wheezed, "The next train's coming in soon."

"Don't mind him. Grandpa used to be a Coal Train engineer. He still can't kick his old habits from then. The yard’s over by the Corel Reactor. No one's done maintenance for ages with all them monsters, so be careful."

"Thanks." The pilot sympathized, possibly because he smoked more than Reno.

* * *

"Hey!"

* * *

The pilot and his three 'friends' left the squalor of the town and hiked along the curving railroad, noting the extra twists and turns that made it an inefficient route.

Outside Shinra Reactor #27, the sky was stained yellow with smog. The Mako glow flared between wooden rail ties that crossed the open pit beneath. Shinra's logo crowned the caution-striped entrance. The tracks continued through the reactor into the mountain, but the group didn't have to go that far.

A train lay dormant within, waiting for them. It was an old steam locomotive with a standard cylindrical engine. Some of the cars were still heaped with coal.

Feigning confidence, the pilot led his friends into the cab. He bluffed a lack of surprise when the control levers welcomed his novice touch.

"Hey, you really look like you know what you're doing. Sorry we doubted you, Captain."

The engine sprang to life. He alternated the levers to accelerate; learned the rhythm quickly. This was easier than he'd imagined, it practically drove itself!

His buddies relaxed and started exploring. "Shouldn't there be some fuel in the firebox? It's empty."

The train sped on, faster and faster, zooming along the bendy tracks, the rushing air blowing coal-blackened steam behind, a nice smooth ride.

"Told you I could drive it!"

Soon the banner over North Corel came into view, approaching too rapidly. At this rate, the runaway train would plow right through the town!

"Captain, slow down!"

No matter what the pilot tried, the vehicle's speed only increased. Unbidden, the whistle screamed louder than they did.

"Is it Left and Up, or Down and Right?" The levers were stuck! He cussed up a storm.

Time dilated around them as they braced for destruction.

"^$#@%$ ! We couldn't stop the train... "

And then, suddenly, without a sound, the engine came to a halt on its own, as if it had never moved from its resting place in the reactor at all.

Shocked that inertia hadn't thrown them forward, the pilot opened his eyes. He swore he felt the searing heat pass through his back. A transparent image, an exact copy of the train but wreathed in ethereal flames, clattered onward on invisible tracks. Incandescent spirits clad in scorched miner's gear leapt from the cars whooping with joy, glad to return home after so many years away. The fire spread in their wake and crackled into reality...

...North Corel burned.

Shinra covered up the incident, not wanting to scare off future Gold Saucer customers with a tale of an out-of-control spectral vehicle. Seeking a more mundane cause, we reported that the damage occurred during suppression of a rebellion.

Rumors successfully quashed, we gave the skilled pilot his dream job in exchange for his silence. The others were disposable.

* * *

Elena asked, "Did that really happen?"

"Of course not," Tseng lied, purposefully making it obvious.

Elena paled.

"And I haven't even told you what was at the bottom of the well, yet...."


	5. Sephiroth's Story

"My turn."

"Oooooh, be afraid, be very afraid, for the Great General Sephiroth can ruin any story you may have heard."

"Maybe I'll ruin yours next, Zack."

"..." Zack's imitation of Rude was exemplary.

"Better."

* * *

**Chapter Five: Sephiroth's Story**

And not once did the lights in the Shinra Building go out.

* * *

Reno stated the obvious. "Well, yeah, Sephiroth. This is a power company."

"You can come up with a more elaborate one," said Tseng.

"Hmm. I wonder... This will do."

* * *

**Chapter Five: Sephiroth's Story**

I received reports that an unknown creature was terrorizing the barracks. It sounded like a serious matter, so I decided to investigate.

There wasn't much information to go by. Stalking shadows, creeping rumors... no reliable witnesses to speak of. According to the troops, whatever it was made no characteristic noises and left no tracks save for a scattered trail of red, sandstone dust.

Naturally, my first thought was that something had escaped from the labs. I went to ask Hojo.

* * *

Five gasps revealed that this was the scariest thing to have been said all night.

* * *

A specimen had escaped, yes, and on approximately the same day that the incidents began. But the description Hojo gave me didn't match the accounts. The experiment from the labs didn't have three orange-slitted eyes nestled in a poison-green, disk-shaped carapace. It didn't sway, suspended, on four long, needle-thin and needle-sharp legs many times the length of its impressive fangs.

Our conversation was put on hold when Hojo's phone rang.

"What do you mean it's dead? Idiot! Don't waste time gawking at the wound! Have the body brought up here right now before it can decay further!"

"No offense General, but I have work to do."

"None taken, Professor."

As I prepared to leave, one of the specimens... it resembled a large cat and had been listening intently, murmured to itself in a low, concerned voice, "Does this mean the door has been opened?"

The red beast certainly wasn't referring to the door to its cage. That was still latched and locked tight. The label underneath indicated it had been captured in Cosmo Canyon, where its coloration probably helped it blend in against the rocks. Interesting.

Purely by coincidence, I was already scheduled to visit the observatory there.

* * *

Zack started laughing. Sephiroth glared at him.

* * *

The elders were discussing the future completion of their Book of Stars when I remembered to ask about the door. They were unnerved that I knew of it.

"The entrance to the cave is sealed and should not be opened. We will not break that promise."

* * *

"Let me guess, you opened it."

"Shut up, Zack."

Elena agreed. "Yeah, let him say what happened next."

* * *

...I opened it. They couldn't stop me.

Inside, the cave was dark and cold, unlike the red warmth of the rest of the Canyon. Ropes dangled over the abyss...

* * *

"Did you jump?"

"No, Zack. I climbed down because I couldn't see the bottom."

* * *

Even with the oppressive, smothering chill, the air was perfectly breathable. A haunted place, ominous and otherworldly, clearly not wishing to be disturbed, it threatened intruders with death. The spirits lacked the power to enforce that sentence, but it was not the only trick at their disposal. At their behest, the wide, vaulted chambers collapsed and reformed into a series of labyrinthine passages. Whenever I glanced back, a hollow grating reverberated off the walls as the tunnels behind shifted and changed, denying the existence of an exit.

There was no rational choice except to head deeper into the cave.

The icy mists withdrew in favor of stifling heat. I stepped carefully onto a narrow arch above bubbling, boiling pools of blood, although, on second thought, the substance was less viscous than that. Treacherous amber grease coated the path, ready to send foolish trespassers sliding towards impaling spikes. Then I saw the webs.

They were in the way, so I set them on fire.

* * *

"What a surprise," someone mumbled.

* * *

The huge, spidery creatures shrieked as they died. Drawn out, piercing screams, although nothing in their anatomy suggested they'd be able to make such a noise. Curious. These were definitely the monsters I'd come here to find. Hojo would have a field day trying to catch the one that was already loose in Midgar. Now to return with that information.

Retreat to the tunnels was impossible, and staying was likewise not an option. The crimson liquid began to rise, sloshing across the bridge as sickly pink foam. Funneled farther into the underworld, I sought higher ground and eventually reached a room etched with carvings. The central glyph blossomed into a tortured grin, maddening eyes on a twisted, sinister face. The ghostly presence intensified. Reality convulsed. That's how I met with the chief spirit of the dead tribe, Gi Nattak.

* * *

"And then what?"

Sephiroth's exasperated sigh cut through the night.

"...We talked about the state of the world today and had tea."

Everyone boggled at those words. "What? That can't be the end!"

With a dangerously smug look, Sephiroth said, "Maybe it wasn't. But because you kept interrupting, now you'll _never know_."

"Dang, yo!" Reno exclaimed.

Zack apologized.


	6. Elena's Story

"I have one, too," said Elena.

They didn't have to wait long. She launched into the story before she could change her mind.

* * *

**Chapter Six: Elena's Story**

There were six friends:

Wren, who was named after the little brown bird because he was so quick and chatty.

Zack, er, I mean Mack, the easygoing one, who was best friends with Seth, who hated everybody except Mack but they loved him for it.

Lina, who was blond, who was crushing hard on Sten, who was serious all the time, but he liked this other girl who wore pink instead. Lina wanted Sten to notice her, but hadn't found the perfect moment to say so.

...and Dude, who was Wren's shy and stoic counterpart, kinda his opposite in a lot of things, so they got along well.

* * *

"You can use our names, 'Lina'," Reno said. He made the air quotes.

"Any resemblance to real persons living or dead ...is purely a coincidence," Elena responded smoothly.

Zack laughed. "I think I know a guy with the same definition of 'coincidence'."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

Tseng said, "Your desire to protect the involved parties' anonymity is appropriate. Go on."

Elena tried not to blush at his praise.

* * *

With the gil they'd saved up from odd jobs over the past year, the six friends went to the Gold Saucer for spring break. Together they had enough money for a pass.

The jobs they'd had were boring and the Gold Saucer hasn't changed or added any new attractions since then, so we can skip the part where they wander around bantering.

Eventually, they'd seen everything they wanted to and were pretty tired. The prices at the park restaurants were ridiculously high, and the music was driving Seth insane, so they decided to call it a day and go for food somewhere else.

When they made it back to the tram platform, it was dark. The neon signs and guide lights had been shut off. Had they missed the closing announcement? Were they the last ones here? Dude didn't think so. He pointed to the shady guy in the corner who looked like the sort of swindler who sold GP for gil against the rules. Wren went to talk to him.

"Yeah, the tram ain't workin' no more. Manager lady told everyone they could stay overnight, on the house."

Lina asked where.

"On the house, girl. The Haunted House Hotel."

Well... That would be fine. It would be like a crazy sleepover. Mack grinned. He could get up to all kinds of mischief.

They shared the single available room, but each had their own bed. After the thirteenth repeat of the recorded scream-and-laugh track that played whenever someone in the hallway walked by the door, Sten couldn't take it anymore. Lina agreed. This was stupid. The rubber monster hands poking out from under the beds were beyond tacky. Wren objected to the glow-in-the-dark plastic spiderwebs dangling from the ceiling. Dude couldn't deny that the sinister wardrobe lurking by the far wall was too mundane to be disconcerting. Seth had lost interest in the miniature guillotine on the table. The only one who seemed to appreciate the atmosphere was Mack.

"Okay, so... if we aren't gonna stay here and sleep... where should we go instead?"

They each named a different Square. Suspecting they wouldn't reach a compromise anytime soon, they split up to revisit their favorites.

"Wait!" said Mack. "This is kinda a familiar situation. Maybe we shouldn't split up."

Lina wanted to be near Sten, and Dude thought Mack was right. Wren said he was cool either way. Seth ignored them and headed off alone. He did that a lot.

They selected a destination at random.

* * *

The five of them rushed the Battle Square staircase.

"I always meant to try this," said Sten. There was no line.

There was no receptionist either, so they supposed it was free. Unafraid, Sten approached the big steel door with an X-shaped cross brace and entered the arena.

Even with the place abandoned, it seemed that only one person could fight at a time.

* * *

Bored, Wren went to browse Dio's Showroom.

The tag read 'Weekend Clock'. He could use something like that. Eh, not really. Next to another trophy, he saw an empty space on the shelf labeled 'Vagyrisk Claw'. After a moment's search, he found the missing item on the floor. He bent down and retrieved it carefully, intending to put it back. But... standing again was difficult. He felt his body slowly... no, quickly! going numb... and then he couldn't move at all! Wren couldn't scream before his throat turned to stone. His eyes glazed over with gray.

* * *

"Dammit, I chose 'off course' by mistake!" Sten threw the consolation prize in the trash.

"Hey, where's Wren?"

They did a sweep of the lobby but couldn't find him anywhere.

"I think he said Event Square was cooler than he expected. Let's check there."

"Sounds good," Mack went first.

* * *

He waited in the darkened, lonely theater. The others hadn't followed him, apparently. Oh well. Wren shared his propensity for pranks and was probably doing something stupid backstage.

Mack climbed the small flight of stairs onto the stage. Suddenly, the spotlights flared white-hot, illuminating the giant mog statues on either side and casting their shadows over the crowd. All the seats were filled except for one on the aisle close to the front. There was applause.

"Pssst, it's your cue," a voice behind him whispered.

"Huh?"

"Talk to the one who can help you......"

But the voice didn't have an owner, and there wasn't anyone else around. He was alone...

Thousands of grabbing, clawing spectral hands snaked upwards through the floor and dragged him under, smothering, welcoming him into their company. The curtain fell....

"Your seat, sir. 34B."

Mack sat down to watch the show.

* * *

Dude was more speechless than usual. Why was he in Speed Square? He'd gone the right way but this was the wrong place.

He stood on reassuringly solid concrete painted with white arrows to guide the non-existent queue. The shooting coaster's rails looped over the edge into the pitch black void, threatening vertigo. The scores on the Wall of Fame had been reset; he wondered if it had been done intentionally or if it was the result of a power outage.

Songs from distant sections of the Gold Saucer rode the night on a crisp breeze. The music from Chocobo Square was loudest.

Was this a new effect for the coaster? The player probably wasn't supposed to shoot the colorful, translucent chocobo holograms. Maybe they'd even be worth negative points.

They sure were fast though.

The birds looked as insubstantial as the other targets, so the collision took him by surprise. Their trampling talons tore through him; their stampede shredded his skin. They disappeared into the wall, leaving no trace except his injuries to mark their passing. The wounds were deep, he felt himself slipping away. Run down by ghostly chocobos! Guess he should've shot them after all.

* * *

Lina was confused. Shouldn't they be in Event Square? This was Round Square, with the gondola... and... it was just the two of them! She recognized her chance.

"Sten, will you ride with me?"

"Okay."

The wooden gondola creaked when they boarded. Normally, the hum of the rest of the park's attractions would hide that noise, but not tonight. It was eerie.

They had a sweet heart-to-heart conversation to the peaceful absence of fireworks.

"I feel safe with you, Sten, no matter how creepy this gets."

"It's been nice to get to know you better too, Lina."

Too soon, it was over. Lina got out first and turned to help Sten onto the platform, but the gate slammed shut, trapping him inside. With a lurch, the gondola zipped away on the line.

"Sten!"

She reminded herself not to panic. It's a circular track, right? She just had to wait for him to come back.

The ride hadn't seemed so long when they were talking....

Finally, the gondola returned.

Nobody was there.

Something tapped her on the shoulder. She screamed.

It was Seth.

"Didn't mean to startle you. Where are the others?"

"They're gone... they're all gone. We're the only ones left. We gotta get out of here!"

"We? I like how quiet it is, now."

Something was wrong with his eyes. Lina started inching around to the side so he wasn't blocking her path as much.

He smiled at her.

She ran.

She had to stop and catch her breath when she got to Station Square. Static buzzed on the info screen, chopping up the scream-and-laugh track from the hotel.

Was he chasing her?

Lina thought she could run some more. The guy who sold GP was nowhere to be found.

Lina sprinted to the only escape that she knew of, and got on the cable car.

There was a mechanical crack.

No, no, no! Don't let the cables snap, oh please!

The locking mechanism released. She plummeted into the darkness, holding tight to the railings of the car, so fast, falling so fast, she was gonna die....

On the ground, the woman at the desk asked her if she'd had a fun trip.

"Yep, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

It was supposed to be snarky, but... it sounded like.... Lina gasped. _Somehow_ she was still alive.

* * *

Elena beamed. "Roll the credits, we've all told a story now."

Rude was the first to realize what she'd done. "Way to go, last girl Elena!"


End file.
